Apr 15, 2011

Pineapple and coconut top these light pineapple cupcakes, what a perfect Spring dessert! For the coconut lover out there, these are super easy, low fat, moist and delicious! A variation of my pineapple bliss cupcakes, using a box of yellow cake mix and a can of crushed pineapple; no eggs, no oil or butter needed!!

This is great for lazy bakers like me, takes less than 10 minutes to prep! You can make the cupcakes a day ahead and the topping as well which should be stored in the refrigerator. Once you top them with the frosting they should be eaten within a few hours.

Yay!!! I have been waiting for this ever since you mentioned it in the Pineapple Bliss post. I LOVE Pina Coladas (boring virgin ones) and anything cocnut related and you have made me a very happy girl. Thank you MUCH!!!!!

i just made them, they're great! I have my husbands birthday net week and he loves pina coladas. Will definately be making these for him alongside his tirimasu gateau..now there will be something waist friendly for me to enjoy too!

Made this last night and it was delicious. I used Duncan Hiines pineapple supreme cake mix (I love pineapple so it wasn't too much). I had to add about 5 minutes extra baking time to mine to get them to the perfect texture, but absolutely delicious.

For the frosting I ended up using Truvia instead of sugar and it still turned out to die for! Thank you for this recipe, it is now my favorite cupcake recipe!

I have these baking right now and my house smells SO yummy - I can't wait to try them. I am going to split the frosting recipe in half so I can try both this one and the pineapple bliss for variety at Easter!

Thanks for all the yummy recipes - I share them on my Facebook page all the time.

Made this on rainy Saturday: eat many of them (Thank god had tons of extra points kept aside for the weekend). Didn't realise immediately that the recipe was for 24 cupcakes, and we are only 2 at home: made a cake with the other half and brought it to work. Gone in 20 min!!! everyone loved it! Thanks Gine: you are making my WW journey so much fun!!! Shared your website with my friends abroad, they love it too!

I just made these with the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix. I didn't add the whole can of pineapple and had to bake them a bit longer than the box said but they are fabulous. My son is gluten free so I don't like to make things he can't have. We will all be enjoying these. No one would know they are GF.Thanks!

these look amazing! it actually inspired me to make a cake using the same method and it was awesome, so I posted about it and I included one of your pictures! linked back to you, of course :) here's the blog link:

Gina, I would love to use this recipe to make a cross-shaped cake for Easter. Do I need to make any adjustments to make this into a cake? Also, would the icing hold up well for that, or should I try something a little more stiff? Thanks for all of the great recipes!

i stumbled upon your site last week and i'm in loooove! the cilantro lime recipe is so yummy and tonight i made these cupcakes. what can i say!? amazinnggg! i switch up the frosting and blogged about it (obviously gave credit where amazing credit is due). feel free to check it out at http://dianaricart.blogspot.com/. :)

I want to make these for a potluck, but I won't be able to refrigerate them before setting them out...do you think I could substitute the cream cheese for Betty Crocker's Whipped Buttercream frosting? I would still mix in the pineapple and coconut.thanks! - erica

I tried making this into a cake on Thursday; however, the base didn't set completely. (Which I didn't realize until I tried to flip it. Next time, I'll leave it in longer than suggested) But, I put the topping on yesterday and off to the party I went. I cheated and used a spoon to serve and no one was the wiser. Btw, everyone LOVED it!!! Very delicious!

Just made these with a sugar free cake mix and they are delicious! Also, my frosting was pretty thick and didn't look as thin as your photo. I think I did a REALLY good job removing the liquid from the pineapple! :o) Thanks for such great recipes!!

I am so anxious to see what happens when I remove the cake from the oven. I am using a bundt pan and already mixed the icing and put in the fridge! Everyone seems to think they will have a piece tonight, but have advised it's for Easter. Sorry! The entire house smells wonderful!

Just tried making these for Easter. They turned out to be a mess. I drained the pinapple juice before adding the pineapple to the frosting recipe, but it was a wet mess. Unattractive and didn't taste right at all. Not sure what I did wrong. Husband told me to throw the whole thing away and we are now hoping to find a grocery store where we can grab Easter dessert.

Gina, these are great! I found them to be super easy. I made everything the day before and put the frosting in the fridge. Today I just frosted my cupcakes and we were out the door to a family dinner. I admit I added a little coconut extract to the frosting, just to give it a great flavor. The cupcakes were very most and yummy. Huge it with the family. Thanks!!

I made these for Easter and they were great. Super easy to make. One change - My family doesn't like super sweet things so I made t with unsweetened coconut and slightly less sugar for the topping. It turned out great. Love your work, keep it up!

Made these last night and they are delicious! I accidentally bought one can of crushed pineapple, and one can of pineapple chunks - it was a blessing in disguise! They were much easier to drain and I just coarsely chopped them up for the frosting. YUM! LOVE your blog - thank you!!

*drools* I just made these for a get together we're going to this weekend. Of course after making them I had to sample ;) They're SOOO good! I love the pineapple! I'm tempted to see how the cupcakes by themselves taste. Thanks for your recipes! Your website is my go-to for great meals and desserts. Everything I've made has turned out fantastic and you give such easy-to-follow directions!

To Anonymous re: this not being a recipe because it uses a cake mix....It is a recipe and the cake mix is one of the INGREDIENTS!!!!! Definition of rec·i·pe (n.)1. A set of directions with a list of ingredients for making or preparing something, especially food.The mix is on of the ingredients along with other ingredients! IF YOU are such an expert on "recipes" why are you bothering with this blog. Go start your own and make everything from scratch if you wish...but there are MANY people who use this site daily and have NO complaints about the RECIPES!!!!!

We are making these today for school lunch box treats! Look fab! As for it not being a recipes- um, you're cooking something that you've mixed together using described ingredients- sounds like a recipe to me! I'm a busy full time working mum and I love any recipe with shortcuts! Keep up the fantastic work you do Gina, you do a wonderful job making all of us healthier!Jane xx

Just wondering if you know if these freeze well?? I'm counting points and I know that I will want to eat them all...it helps if I can put some in the freezer for later. They look sooooooo good! Thanks!

I made a cake last night (9x13 pan) using carrot cake mix and a can of crushed pineapple with whipped topping on top and it was absolutely delicious! Thanks for the idea! I'm sure your recipe is delicious too. I'll try it next time.

Three generations of southern cooks (coconut pineapple cakes are one of the hallmarks of a good southern cook) say "thank you" for a quick and easy recipe when you need a dessert quickly. We value the nutritional and Points (Plus) information you provide. We can pay homage to our family members when we make these very delightful treats and stay true to our efforts for a healthier lifestyle. They were very lovely and just as delicious. Three requests already for the summer birthday celebrants. Joy! Just pure Joy! Thank you, Gina!

Just made these for my bbq tomorrow and had to :try one" to make sure they were going to be good. Oh my word, delicious!! Thanks once again!Oh, and I also made your diet coke cake as cupcakes with diet dr. pepper instead and the one I "tried" was amazing as well.

I just made this for some of my work friends and they are on Weight Watchers and couldn't believe how awesome they taste - the recipe came out perfect, I used a little less sugar for the frosting but you couldn't tell! Really love your website & recipes (shared with my friends)... thanks so much!!

Just made these with Gluten Free Betty Crocker Yellow cake mix. They came out AWESOME! Exchanged sugar for Splenda and then toasted some coconut to toss on top! They were delightful. :) Thanks so much for an awesome recipe.

I made these yesterday and they are amazing!!! I did not want bits of pinappple in my cupcakes so I threw the can of pineapple in the blender and blended it until smooth before adding it to the cake mix. Delicious!!!

I made these to take to a family picnic today and OMG! is all I can say. What a great recipe. The only change I made was to use powdered sugar in place of regular sugar. It made a smooth frosting and whipped up quickly. Thanks, Gina, for another great recipe. People kept asking "who made the pineapple cupcakes??" I didn't tell anyone it was a "skinny" recipe, because it sure doesn't taste like it's diet food!Tricia

I just made these today and WOW! They are so delicious. Surprisingly, I loved them just as much without the frosting. I made some with and without. It was moist and delicious. I am definitely going to keep this in my recipe box! =)

SO good! What a wonderful dessert! I had a craving for a cupcake and this one totally hit the spot! Amazingly easy, super inexpensive and makes TONS! I can't wait to have another one tomorrow! Will definitely save points for this!

Soooooo Yuummy! Made this little bad boys today for dinner and they were a HIT.... Not bad considering most of my family members don't care for The pineapple or coconut taste, every one was quiet surprise to like them! It will be added to my love it list. :) and this site will be bookedmark :) thank you!

This is the second recipe I have tried and I am so happy I found this site! Hubby doesn't care for flaked coconut so we omitted it. It was so delicious. Very similar to pineapple upside down cake (but better). I'm in my 2nd week of WW, and I can stick to it with your great recipes.

:-) I so love your recipies Gina!!! I just started a Cake decorating class, so I will be using a lot of your cake recipies to bring into my class so that I won't ruin my waistline. :-) Do you have any lighter version for Buttercream frosting? lol Thanks much and Keep up the good Work!

Hi Gina I made these yesterday and loved them.. however is there a reason they have to be eaten within a few hours after they are topped? I have them stored in the refrigerator.. it made too many for my family to eat in a few hours haha.

YUM!! I got the BC Coconut Supreme Mix with a 20 oz can of crushed pineapple! SO easy! Thanks for posting. I'm not only watching my diet and points but also my wallet these days and this is the easiest and cheapest way to make 48+ mini cupcakes for a party and still feel like a hit!! (came out to only $5 plus it was BOGO on the cake mix this week ;o) I also have coconuts in the back yard so all summer my fiancé and I have been shaving and dehydrating our own flakes! SO perfect! Thanks again. -K

I fixed these last night and they were delicious. I only iced the ones that were to be eaten and put the rest of the icing in the fridge. I just had one with lunch and I must say, it was SO much better with the icing really cool. OH, and I don't like coconut, but I never noticed it was in there. I will definately be making these again!!

Gina - making these now and needed to wing it with frosting as sweetened coconut not available in Oz. Used normal shredded coconut, a little coconut essence and a v. v. small amount of pineapple juice. Also used icing (confectioners) sugar instead. Turned out fine though so when they cool and I've taken a photo, I'll send you the link

Tonight completes my second week of WW. I've wanted a cupcake the entire time, so after searching, I decided on these. THEY ARE SOOOOO GOOD. It's hard to use the self control with these, but I've been good. Delicious. Thank you! I look forward to trying more of your desserts!

I made these for the first time tonight and they were delicious! They were extremely moist and weren't too sweet, but just perfect. I really liked the fact that they were pretty filling for a dessert and they definitely satisfy the sweet tooth. Thank you for these delicious WW recipes!!!

Gina- thanks for all of your hard, DELICIOUS work!!! I need help troubleshooting with this recipe...I may have accidentally overlooked the "drain all fluids" out of the pineapple in the frosting. Now it's too runny. Do you have any ideas on how to thicken it up? I'd hate to waste an entire batch of frosting.Thanks! ~Ginny

Problem solved! I added a bit of instant vanilla pudding mix - not the entire package, just enough to soak up the excess liquid and solidify the frosting a bit. Yes, it adds more calories/points, but at the moment it's better than throwing out the batch! Thanks! (it still tastes great!)

These are what we in the south refer to as "smack your mama delicious." How long will the frosting stay good, as long as it is refrigerated? I am keeping it in a container separate from the cupcakes so that I can eat them throughout the week. Thanks!

I made this tonight, but got lazy and made it a bundt cake instead of cupcakes. I just followed the baking time on the cake mix box for the bundt cake and it turned out great! I also kept the topping in a bowl in the fridge so I wouldn't have to refrigerate the whole cake and it worked out well. Will make again!

Ok...I just have to say that I made these tonight. I TOTALLY forgot the sugar in the frosting and they were AWESOME!! They were super sweet W/OUT the sugar. DELISH!! Thanks for a excellent recipe as always :) Now...has anyone else made these w/out sugar?

Yesterday, I hosted a friend's engagement party and made these for dessert. They came out absolutely amazing. For her wedding she wants cupcakes and I have volunteered to save her money and make a few of your delicious recipes.

I just noticed that you said 18.25 oz yellow cake mix. I bought the same one pictured and it was 15.25 oz. I made the cupcakes last night and realized they are bit on the soft side, toothpick still came out clean, but tasted okay.

Amazing Amazing! I tried the frosting without the sugar first then tried it with the sugar and hands down the one with the sugar was better and really just the perfect sweetness! Thank you! BTW I thought it was even more amazing after it was chilled (after frosting). And it was a bit prettier when topped with toasted coconut like someone here suggested. Yummmmm!

These were sooo yummy! I made the icing a little differently...I used the 1/3 the fat cream cheese, 1 cup sweetened coconut and slowly drizzled in a little bit of pineapple juice to thin it out a bit and then spread a small amount on top of each cupcake. I've tried several recipes of yours and LOVE them all!

Help- is it me or is there not a temperature for this cupcake? I am guessing it is the same as the box or maybe typical 350? Someone please tell me what temp I should bake this at. I am cooking it now... :) Thanks

hi I made the chocolate muffins with the tin of pumpkin puree that was this site they were delicious . i also saw the different cake mixes with different types of soda pop could someone post the recipes again i am not sure if it was just soda pop and cake mix

Are you supposed to add the oil, eggs and water that the box recipe calls for? Bc I just did...and they're baking as I type. haha I just assumed the eggs and such would be a necessity to baking. But now, the mix looks too thin... :/

I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for "substituting" for the cake mix -- I'm not a big fan of the artificial vanilla taste but have seen great recipes like this one and still want to make them. I'm really struggling to get an airy/light texture without the butter and eggs in a normal yellow cake.

I've commented on here before, but I just have to say again how much I love these cupcakes. SO. GOOD. I don't feel too bad when I lick the bowl (as long as I have some extra points+ sitting around). I'm taking them to our Father's Day celebration tomorrow... finally a dessert I can have and not feel guilty about at a family party.

Seriously one of the best cupcakes I have ever eaten. This does not taste light or diet in any way--incredibly flavorful and moist. For mine, I made them without frosting since I was taking them to a picnic and didn't know how they'd hold in the heat. Instead, I sprinkled coconut shavings on before baking. They came out toasted and the result was tasty. Would definitely bake again and try the other recipes. I am someone who bakes almost everything from scratch and these don't taste one bit like a mix!

OMG!! Made these Friday before -the frosting, finished them today to take to a friend, kept 6 for myself! YUMMY, YUMMY! Making the pulled pork as we speak in slow cooker for Sunday dinner, my house smells amazing! I'm doing smothered cabage per my nephews request as a side. Love this site, have made so many of the recipes on my weight loss journey. Really helps to have all the nutrition info, and someone who has done the leg work, and tweaked the recipes for sucess. THANK YOU SO MUCH, Hope

FABULOUS recipe! 4 thumbs up from hubs and me. I will probably have to recalculate points, since I only got 18 cupcakes instead of 24... I've never been very good with spatial reasoning.

I have made pretty much nothing but recipes from this site since starting WW, and have been impressed with each and every one. I'm having a blast going through the archives to find creative and healthy new ways to fix some of our favorites.

I made this with a gluten free yellow cake mix and my husband loved them. However, they didn't come out with the consistency cupcakes are supposed to have...they were more sticky than fluffy if you have any idea what I mean. Do you know if there is something I can add when using a gluten free mix to make them the right consistency? Thanks!

I want to make these delicious cupcakes for Easter. I was wondering, you said there is no eggs, no oil, and no butter needed, but the Betty Crocker Cake Mix requires this. My question is do I add everything on the cake mix to make the cupcakes or I don't? And how are the cupcakes going to hold up with no eggs and oil?

Finally got around to making these today, and boy do they smell good! We got a fresh pineapple in our Easter basket, so they're going to be topped with fresh sliced pineapple and plain cream cheese instead of frosting.

The best surprising part (other than how easy they are) is how good the batter smells!

Absolutely delicious! Made these for coworkers and they were devoured in minutes! The only thing...my cupcakes came out extremely moist, so moist in fact that they've wet through the entire cupcake liner. Is this normal?

These cupcakes are fabulous! I've made them several times and my husband lights up when I buy crushed pineapple! I've found that really pressing the water from the crushed pineapple when draining makes a difference in the icing.

As for the smaller cake mixes, I found this helpful blog post and will try her suggestion next time I make these:http://www.cakemixdoctor.com/2012/04/almond-cream-cheese-pound-cake/

Made these for a gathering tonight and boy were they a hit especially when I told them they were guilt free :)The icing was just a bit runny (thought I had got all the juice) but they were still very good. Topped it with a fresh organic strawberry half for color. Looked really nice and tasted great! Thanks again for yet another fantastic recipe - Gina rocks!!

I have made these repeatedly and everyone loves them. I'll be making them yet again for Fourth of July for those of us watching our waists. Thank You So Much for showing us you can have delicious foods that are healthy! Love This Site!

I just made this at home - i live in spain so i looked up a "recipe" for the yellow cake mix, and I didnt have the ingredients for the frosting so i just mixed this sort of 0% fat riccotta cheese with sugar and a lot of shredded coconut.

SO GOOD. UNBELIEVABLE.

I am so grateful for your recipe!! I think these are my new favourite thing!!!

You can also mix together a box of sugar free cream of coconut instant pudding and a small tub of sugar free whipped topping and a small can of well drained pineapples for the icing. I use this method for icing all the time, it is light and less calories and DELICIOUS!. Could also sprinkle a tiny bit of coconut on top and top it off with a cherry.